Laura Carstensen, Professor in Public Policy at Stanford University notes that we are simply not built to cope with thinking about the future:

"Humans are wired to live in the present, not plan for the future. Our evolutionary survival hinged on our adroitness in dealing with the problems of the here and now, not our ability to stock-pile resources and make plans for some vague distant future we might never enjoy. If anything, biology tells us to eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die.”

We rarely grow alone. In fact, some psychologists have made a compelling case that we only grow in connection with others. However, we don’t need to learn with others in formal training or development programs: we can architect our own opportunities to gain insight, knowledge, and skills that move us on an upward trajectory. We can have more control over our learning at work if we make building high-quality connections a priority.

A concerning piece of data on a number of levels. Research is about understanding where you are, what you should be doing and where you should be going. It is there to reduce uncertainty in organisations’ decision making. As the Lewis Carroll quote says: "If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there."

What does the future hold for marketing researchers? A number of suggestions from the Research panel here. I like; ‘thick data’, the ‘connection economy’, risks of disintermediation and the renewed focus on people.